Renee's Daughter
by Melody-Rose-20
Summary: Maybe you do not agree with this and for that I apologise. I suppose you could say it was my way of holding onto Bella. When Bella moves to Forks, it was at the behest of Chief Charlie Swan. Enter stage left; the Cullens, Jacob and the Rez lot and a whole lotta trouble.
1. Charlie

**Charlie POV**

It was late when I left Washington after our annual training seminar. Not that that is an excuse for nearly running someone over. In my defence, she did come out of nowhere.

I didn't see her until she crashed onto my bumper, causing me to swerve and send her flying onto the road.

I stepped out of the car, flashlight in hand and moved over to where she was lying on the edge of the road.

"Miss, can you hear me."

I reached to check her pulse, it was strong. She opened her eyes. They were cloudy. There was a slight dampness on her forehead that could only be blood.

"Miss, don't move, you might have broken something."

I pulled out my phone and dialled 911

"Emergency services."

"This is Chief Swan of Forks, I need an ambulance ASAP. A young woman has been hit by a car. Potential head trauma and slight bleeding."

"Is the driver in question still present?"

"Actually, that would be me."

I gave the details of our location and waited until I heard the familiar whirl of the ambulance. As the paramedics loaded her up, I insisted on following her to the hospital

Xxx

She did not have concussion but they wanted her kept in for a few days. They were concerned about her overall health and the state of her leg. I knocked on the door. Sleepy, brown eyes met mine.

"Hey."

"Hello, I'm Charlie Swan, Chief of Police."

"I'm Bella."

"I'm sorry for running you over..."

She gave a small, tired smile. "Don't worry about it Chief. I should have been looking where I was going."

"As you're going to be stuck here for a few days is there anyone I can call? Or is there anything you need?"

"Actually, I checked into a motel in Port Angeles. Would you be able to have my things brought here?"

"I'll do it myself. Is there anyone I can call?"

"There's someone but they live in New York and I don't want to bother them."

"Well, if you change your mind, let me know."

Xxx

I went to the motel to collect her things, telling the manager that she would be checking out early. He took me to her room, where her stuff was still packed. She must have only recently arrived.

I had already felt bad enough, now I felt ten times worse.

It was lunchtime at the hospital. There was a nurse in the room conducting a blood test. It seemed they were having difficulties finding a match and wanted to keep her in longer.

Bella wasn't impressed.

"How's the patient?"

When she didn't answer, the Nurse spoke up.

"We're a little irritable today. The Doctors told us that she needs to take better care of herself."

She grimaced. "I do take care of myself."

The nurse smiled and went back to taking her samples. I watched as Bella smiled at the sight of her stuff.

Xxx

Over those few days, I had gotten into the habit of visiting Bella during my lunch hour. Billy found this amusing and claimed he wanted to meet the girl. I spoke about this with Bella.

"You don't mind?"

"Naw, I think it's sweet. I take it you don't run over many girls?"

"No you're the first and hopefully the last. So what about your parents? Surely they would want to know about you."

She paused before answering, quietly.

"My parents died when I was eleven. A drunk driver crashed into us."

I wanted to take back my question but it was too late. All I could do was say, "I'm sorry."

She gave a half-smile. "It's alright. They were great and I got by."

"Any other relatives I could call?"

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly Chief, I'm fine."

I couldn't bear the thought that this girl had no-one.

Over the next few days, I noticed she was gradually getting better and it reminded me that she would soon be moving on. Billy had arrived with Jake and he had instantly taken to her. I introduced the two and they seemed to hit it off right away.

It was there that we first started to get to know the enigma that is Bella. Over her time in the hospitable, the nurses had been trying to find a suitable match for her blood type. The first time, I had offered to leave to give her some privacy but she waved it off.

It was on one of Billy's visits that we found something.

"What have you got for me today then?"

"We've got a combo method today. It's a little something called AB negative."

AB negative? That sounded familiar. I knew I had heard about it before but couldn't place it.

"Well, that seems to be the best match. I'll arrange for you to get a supply and we'll see how you get on."

She left the room.

"So Chief, you have any family? I'd hate to think I was holding you back. "

"No, it's just me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"It's fine. I was married. Years ago but it didn't last. Renee wanted more out of life and she felt trapped here. She left and I haven't heard from her since."

It was only later that I remembered why AB negative was so familiar. It was a very rare blood type with only one percent of the population laying claim to it.

Renee was an AB negative! It was one of the first things I found out about her all those years ago when we met. We were together a grand total of six months before we got hitched, then another three before she announced that I had trapped her and that she wanted nothing more to do with me. Now I'm wondering if her words implied more than I was too upset to acknowledge.

I decided to approach Bella about it. She was calm as I spoke.

"So I could be your daughter?"

The odds were slim but yes.

She agreed to do a test – even going as far as to have someone track Renee down in Arizona and ordering her to give a sample which was then compared to a sample of her own.

It came back positive.

The results did not encourage Renee in any form to stake a claim on Bella. Her own words were,

"I didn't want her then I don't want her now."

She had married some up and coming baseball player, ten years her junior and was quite content with her lot.

However, my sample didn't garner such results.

We weren't a match. That meant that Renee had been having an affair. She had always been flighty, but I never would have put her down as a cheater. I guess I had never known the real Renee. I doubted if anyone ever had.

However, none of this changed my feelings for Bella.

When the hospital finally discharged her, I offered her a place at mine and she accepted, offering to pay rent. I couldn't let her do that and we argued, coming to an arrangement that she would help out around the house while she recuperated and then we would discuss this again in the future.

There was something else we agreed on. We would keep the results of the paternity test a secret. Billy and Jacob would continue to believe that Bella was indeed my daughter.

Maybe you do not agree with this and for that I apologise. I suppose you could say it was my way of holding onto Bella.


	2. Bella

Well that's just great. My first night in Washington and I'm run over by a police officer!

Fan-bloody – tastic.

We go through the rigmarole of checking for injuries and he ends up calling for an ambulance and giving his name as the guilty party.

At the hospital they run all the usual tests but are confounded by my not having a registered blood type.

So I'm stuck here for a few days.

I was surprised to find that the man didn't run off as soon as he could. I wouldn't have blamed him. It's never fun hanging around a hospital. Especially when you don't even know the person properly!

To give him credit, he seemed a decent guy. He even went so far as to retrieve my belongings from the motel. For that, I would be eternally grateful.

And so began my stay in hospital.

Thanks to Charlie Swan, I had my laptop back and so I spent most of the day in touch with my friends in New York. After hearing about my accident, they wanted to fly over immediately but I put them off. They had their own troubles to deal with. The day's monotony was interrupted by the Chief's regular visits. For some reason, he had grown attached to me and I didn't have the heart to refuse him.

It made things interesting and distracted me from the reality of the situation I was currently in.

The Nurses and Doctors here thought me an enigma. They couldn't understand why I wasn't compatible with any of their blood supplies, thus I became their lab-rat.

When Charlie introduced me to one of his oldest friends, I knew I was in trouble. His attachment had become so much more and I knew that I would hurt him when the time came for me to move on. It was unfortunate as I had grown fond of the Chief. He really was one of the most decent men I've ever come across.

Luckily, Fate had decided to step in.

My blood type apparently matched his ex-wife's. It did seem far-fetched that we were linked but the guy seemed desperate to believe this and I went along with it.

When his theory proved correct, I didn't know what to think. I hadn't let myself believe that we could be related.

Still, a police chief had to be better than two abusive druggies as parents. Didn't they?

After his ex proved that she wasn't a candidate for mother of the year and nor was she running for wife of the year, I thought that Charlie would want to end this strange relationship we had settled into.

Apparently not.

Not only did he want me in his life, but he also offered me a place to stay.

"It's not much but I have a spare bedroom that you're welcome to until you can get back on your feet."

Pun unintended.

Maybe it was wrong of me, taking advantage of this man's generosity. After all, it wasn't like we were related. However, he was persistent in his pursuit of me and I gave in.

What can I say? It takes a lot of work being stubborn.

And really, what harm could it do, bringing some modicum of happiness to a man that considered me his daughter? His only request was that I not mention the true result of the paternity test. In his excitement, he had told Billy Black that I was his daughter and could not bear to shatter his illusion.

It was the least I could do.

When the hospital finally discharged me, we loaded my things into Charlie's cruiser and began the journey to his hometown of Forks. I had spoken to him about getting some wheels of my own. His home was a simple, two-storey building with two bedrooms and one bathroom. It was simply decorated, although I did see some brightly coloured cupboards in the kitchen.

A relic from his marriage?

He showed me to the guest room and allowed me to unpack without his presence. So he wasn't a fan of hovering? Awesome! This might actually work.

XxX

That evening, Billy arrived with his son Jacob. He seemed an alright person. A little star-struck perhaps but what else would you expect from a fifteen year old kid? Talk focused around the red truck in the driveway.

"So what do you reckon?"

"It's pretty awesome. The engine looks rebuilt. Classic American."

I noticed that Jake seemed pink around his ears as I praised the truck.

"You did this?"

"Sure did."

Charlie's smile was contagious. "Well, what do you think Bella?"

"It's great."

"I'm glad you like it."

It took a while for things to properly sink in."You bought this?"

He shrugged. "You need a vehicle, Jake fixed this up and Billy is eager to sell."

He pulled out the keys. "Here you are. Welcome home Bella."

Seriously, can this man get anymore awesome?

So there you have it. I am now a resident of Forks, Washington. I was now the proud owner of a red 1958 Ford pick-up truck! I also had a father figure, two great friends and a bright new future ahead.

Sounds too good to be true doesn't it?


	3. More from Bella

It had only been a few days and I was already bored of Forks. My thoughts turned to moving on but I knew that would break Charlie.

The curse of having a conscience.

Forks was a small town with a population of 3120. Forks was one of those places where everyone knows everyone and visitors were treated like a shiny new tool. My status increased thanks to Charlie's influence and soon everyone knew that Charlie Swan's estranged wife had kept a daughter from him and through some twist of fate, they were now reunited.

Oh Joy!

Those first few days were spent getting to know the places around Forks. In his efforts to ensure my welcome, Charlie invited one, Angela Webber, Jessica Stanley and their group of friends to show me around. They took me under their wing, driving me to places like the supermarket, local diner (where Charlie spent most of his time) and the First Beach.

If I was going to stay here on a permanent basis, I would need a serious project. Or a job. There weren't many places hiring so I would have to choose the project.

I spent a day ambling around Forks looking for decent, isolated places, sheltered by trees. There were a few options but two in particular took my fancy. One was on the border of La Push. It was sheltered by the trees and placed in a clearing of wild flowers.

It was perfect.

The second was on the edge of Forks and it was fairly similar to the first lot, only on a much bigger scale. I took some measurements and returned to the truck. I had arranged to meet Charlie at the diner after he finished work. He didn't ask for much and I didn't have it in me to deny him. Even if it meant another session of 'lets-stare-at-the-new girl'.

Charlie ordered his usual steak and chips whilst I went for the house speciality of fish fry. I'd had worse.

Charlie and I had settled into a comfortable routine which consisted of having dinner together before vegging out in front of the TV. Generally there would be a game on. Actually, there was always a game on.

Baseball – bleh!

So that was it for Life in Forks.

Until one day when I was with Angela and Jessica. I had gone to meet with them after school to go to Port Angeles. Prom fever had set and they wanted dresses. I pulled into the car-park just as the bell rang out. I saw Jess wave at me. That is when I first saw _them_.

The Cullens.

I watched as they left the school and made for their fancy cars. They were so impeccably dressed. Clearly a fan of the designer clothes with the over-the-top prices. I felt them stare at me. Probably wondering what the hell I'm doing here.

You know, I'm starting to ask myself the same question.

"Bella! You all ready? We'll follow you to yours and then you can ride with us."

I nodded, setting the car in drive. I felt five pairs of eyes burning holes in my back.

It didn't take long for Jess and the others to find their perfect outfits and we retired to the restaurant for much needed sustenance. Talk turned to the Cullens. I listened to them all gush about the hotness of the guys and their relationships with their 'sisters'. Personally, I felt disgusted but if that's what they wanted then fair play to them all.

The next morning, I took a drive out to the larger plot of land I had my eye on. I had already made the relevant phone-calls and drew up blue prints for the house. Ditto the land near La Push. That one was more complex as it was on Quileute land. However, my lawyer had sought and was granted permission to purchase it from the Chief of the Tribe, William 'Billy' Black. I didn't want him to know I was the buyer as it would complicate things in the future.

Having submitted the plans and negotiated a price for all the work, I was waiting for the builders to call me back about a starting date. The first part would have to be done at night but I had full confidence that this would be done to my standards. After all, I was the one who would be living there. At least, for now.

That night, I received a call from Jess to let me know about a trip to La Push. I was all for it. When Saturday came, I was up and ready early, much to Charlie's surprise.

"Bells? What are you doing up so early?"

"Woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm going to La Push later with the others. I need to get some groceries in. Is there anything you want?"

He shook his head and reminded me about the housekeeping money. Normally I would argue about this but it wasn't worth the effort. I took the envelope, knowing full well I would contribute more if necessary. I needed a lot of food – most I would freeze for a later date.

The others were already waiting at the Newton's when I arrived. I rode in the back of Mike's car, letting Jess take shotgun. She had the hots for him mega style and I didn't want to get in the way.

Besides, if I wanted a dog, I wouldn't choose a golden retriever. Too clingy.

La Push was misty and cold. The perfect setting for a movie adaptation of a Gothic novel. There was whale watching, tide pools and surfing. It was a haven from all the craziness in my life recently.

"Bella!"

I turned around to see... "Jacob."

He wasn't alone.

"Bella, are you going to be alright here? Because I can go surfing later."

"No, I'll be alright Ang. Catch a few waves for me?"

"You surf?"

"Occasionally. Have to be in the right mood for it and I'm still getting used to the weather."

Jake sat down in the space beside me as Angela left us.

"So what's new in Forks?"

"Not much. Just hanging out really. Getting used to the pace here."

"Bit slower than what you're used to?" Jake's friend reminded us of his presence.

"Oh sorry, Bella, this is Sam Uley, Sam this is Bella Swan."

His grip was firm and there was a deep timbre in his voice. Like Jake, he had the same long hair that was common amongst Native Americans. He did not have the sunny disposition though. That was all Jake.

"Chief Swan's daughter?"

"Technically but I still go by Tretyakov." At their glazed expressions, "My foster dad was Russian."

"Was?"

"He died in a car crash when I was eleven."

"What about your mom?"

"Ditto. Don't apologise, you didn't know."

Luckily Jake was there to break the awkward tension.

"Well, if you feel like slumming it with us, we won't complain."

"It wouldn't be slumming. Besides Angela you're probably one of the only people I could get along with."

Jake grew concerned. "You haven't had any trouble have you?"

"No, nothing like that. I met Fork's answer to The Corleones is all."

"You know the Godfather?"

"Are you kidding? It's one of my favourite movies ever."

"Well, any time you need a fellow film buff, just give me a call."

"I'll hold you to that."

"So let me guess, was it the Cullens you were talking about?"

"How did you guess?"

Sam snorted."They're kind of minor celebrities in Forks, especially with the foster dad being a doctor."

"You don't like them?"

"I don't know them well enough to have any opinion either way. What do you make of them?"

"I only met them for a few seconds. Do they always dress like they're on Runway?"

"Pretty much, we don't run into them all that often."

"Why?"

"Because the Cullens don't come here."

Ooo, interesting. I thought about questioning them further but the look that past between them told me it wasn't a good idea.

Later that night, Charlie quizzed me about my day. He was happy that I was adjusting to life here so at least someone was happy.

"Oh Bella, one of the teacher's at Forks High has had an accident and will be off for the rest of the term. They need a temp and I mentioned that you've done a bit of tutoring in the past..."

"Charlie you didn't?!"

"Sorry Bells, it slipped out. Anyway, they want to know if you'll pitch in for a few weeks."

Grrr, as if I needed more complications!

"They wanted to know if you could drop by on Monday."

"Alright, I'll go see them."

He smiled before returning to the game.


	4. Miss Tretyakov

**BPOV**

"I appreciate you coming here on such short notice. Your father has spoken very highly of you."

I bit my tongue, trapping the words that longed to flow free. It was Monday morning. Early. I was not impressed when the shrill cry of my alarm clock blared out, pulling me out of a fairly average sleep. Worst of all, we only had cheap coffee in. Memo to Bella – order more coffee!

He continued, "You majored in Art?"

"Yes but I also studied History and music."

"I see, you're a bit of a multi-tasker, eh? Well, that will come in use. Miss Swan..."

"Tretyakov."

His facade along with matching pleasantries dropped as he put on his business tone. "Miss Tretyakov. We need an Art teacher for the rest of the term. We won't be able to pay you much..."

"I'm not concerned with money."

"You're not? Oh, that's good. Now let me see, the teacher left a curriculum, probably nothing like you're used to but feel free to make any changes you need."

Cheeky git, I haven't accepted the job yet.

"Any questions?"

"No, you've already answered all my questions."

"Good, good, can you start today?"

My first class flew by. The freshmen were still at the stage where they were dazed by High school and therefore, easy to control.

That afternoon, I had the Juniors. Angela waved to me and I nodded semi-formally. As I was about to close the door, two of the Cullens entered.

Alice and Edward.

"Good afternoon. My name is Miss Tretyakov. While you are here, that is how you will address me. Understand? Good. I've read the curriculum. It's decent but I think it's time to shake things up a bit. You're going to do a self-portrait. Include what you like and what you don't like. Music, Films, foods, places, etc. Then, you're going to write an essay, evaluating your choices and suggesting possible influences in your life. Any questions?"

Lauren Mallory's nasally tones hurt my ears. "What's the point?"

"This will help you become more self-aware. The essay will give you a taste of the sort of work you can expect at College. Even if you decide not to go to College, this will help you prepare for the interviews you will be asked for when you are rich and famous and the whole world wants to know who you are."

I got a few laughs at that.

"Well then, let's get cracking. You can use anything you want. I'll be expecting a fifteen-hundred word outline by next week. You'll then go through it with a partner that I will assign to you and I'll expect the finished product in three weeks."

Most of them cracked on straight away and there was a light hum of activity. I felt eyes on me but I ignored them.

They were very persistent and annoying.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward crawl in on himself. His sister kept staring between him and me. When the bell rang out, he gathered his things and stormed out, Alice following in his wake.

Oh dear, is little Edward worried that he's not going to meet my standards?

Renee's daughter

I had arranged to meet Charlie at the diner.

"So, how did it go?"

"Alright. They all seem a decent sort. Had two of the Cullens in my last class. Edward's weird."

His face took on a hard edge. "Yeah well, their father does a lot for this town so you'll have to put up with his weirdness."

Oh, had I touched a nerve?

"I didn't mean anything by it. He's just strange is all."

He shrugged. "I'm sorry. A lot of people go on about the Cullen's like they're some new toy. They have always been very polite and well behaved people, more so than some of the yahoos in town. I've certainly never had to bring them in for anything."

I held up my hands. "Fine, can we talk about something else?"

"Can you pass the salt?"

I smiled and he grinned. The subject of the Cullens was closed... for now.

My second day, Edward Cullen didn't show. In fact, for the rest of the week, he was absentia. My classes were going well and the unexpected activity kept me from going insane.

Charlie spent most of his weekend fishing. We were talking about it Friday night and he mentioned that he could always give his excuse to Harry bit I told him I had things to do anyway. He shouldn't change his routine for me.

We compromised on him being home on time for dinner.

I spent most of my time that weekend at the building site. The house was going well and I was already planning the layout.

The house would have four floors in total:

First floor: Open lounge/ dining room cum kitchen with downstairs bathroom, office, home cinema room and library.

Second floor : five bedrooms with three en-suites and a main bathroom.

Third floor: Music gallery with recording studio, kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom

Fourth floor: Art studio with separate dark room, Pottery room, jewellery design space, textiles room, a kitchenette and bathroom and a small bedroom.

Underneath the foundations would be another three floors:

. Gym and training facilities,

. Swimming pool and Jacuzzi

. Underground garage.

A tunnel would connect the bottom floor to a decent-sized garage where at night, I would be able to secure my cars safely, before taking the elevator up to the bulk of the house. In the garage, there was significant space for my equipment.

I had also included the makings of: herb garden, vegetable patch and flower beds.

This would be the house I planned to spend the majority of my time in, so I wanted it to be good.

Most of the underground work had been finished, meaning I could start the necessary paint jobs. I loved seeing my dream house take shape and it meant by the time I got back to Charlie's I was genuinely tired.

Charlie saw to the gutting and deboning of the fish, leaving me to do the prep work before placing them in the freezer. He had an extra freezer out back just for the fish. Before I came he would be content to freeze his catch and defrost as the need arose. I preferred to make up batched of fish stew, fish cakes or fish pie before freezing the excess. Sometimes though, there would be too much left over and we would take it over to Billy's.

I knew as soon as I arrived on Monday that it was going to be a long day.

Edward Cullen was back.

"Alright settle down. I hope all of you have started on the task I set you. One thing you should know about College life, don't leave your work to the last minute and work long into the night to get it done. Start as soon as you can and do it in chunks. Your work will be at a much higher level and your lecturers will be able to tell the difference. We're not from a different planet you know."

I got a few more laughs before they all knuckled down. All except the Cullen siblings. The girl kept sending surreptitious glances in my direction, whilst her brother was full-on staring.

"Eyes on your projects."

I reached into my bag and pulled out my mini speakers. Setting it to shuffle, I let the soft notes fill the room.

It was as the bell rang and everyone was packing up that I felt a presence at my elbow.

"Hello, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself. I'm Edward Cullen. You're Bella..."

"That's Miss Tretyakov during school hours Mr Cullen. Care to give an explanation why you've been absent?"

He forced himself to blink. "I was out of town for a few days. Personal reasons."

Right.

"I see. Well, as long as you keep up with the work, I'll let you're absence slide. Try not to make a habit of it."

"I won't."

"You better run along. Haven't you got a class to get to?"

He left without a word.

During my break, I sought refuge in the teacher's lounge. They were an alright group, though some of them were put off by how young I was.

I didn't care.

It was a few days later that the rain came, and with rain, came ice.

Charlie had woken up hours ago and to put some extra grips on my tyres. Gotta love that man!

The rain continued on throughout the day. I had to work extra hard not to slit my wrists at the dismal picture the rain made the classroom.

I was walking out and had almost made it to my truck when I heard cries from around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blue van coming towards me. I couldn't move. Then, out of nowhere, Edward was beside me. I watched as he pushed the van away, before placing me on the floor gently.

I shut my eyes.


	5. Mrs Cullen

I woke up in the hospital.

Joy.

"Hello Bella, I'm Doctor Cullen. Can you remember what happened?"

I could say the truth but that will only complicate things for me later. So I went with the half truth of,

"Tyler's van skidded on the ice and I was caught in between him and my truck. I guess I blacked out."

"Hm, well, there's no sign of concussion and no internal bruising..."

"So I can go home?"

"I see no reason why you shouldn't. I'll get the papers and we can have you signed out in no time. Your father's waiting outside, shall I send him in?"

My father? Oh wait, Charlie. I nod.

He rushed in and gave a sigh of relief. "Bella, I was so worried about you!"

I smiled. "At least it wasn't you driving this time, huh?"

"Bella, I'm..."

I held up my hand. "Charlie? It's fine. Can we skip the blame game and go home?"

"Of course. I'll wait for you outside."

As I stepped outside, fully dressed, I heard whispering. It looked like the good Doctor, Rosalie and Edward were having a heated debate. Their whispers halted somewhat as they took in my appearance.

"Perhaps we should save this for a more private location?"

Rosalie stormed off, unimpressed.

"So can I sign and go?"

"Of course, I left the papers by reception."

"See you around."

Edward's eyes were wide. He probably expected me to question him over his untimely appearance. Ha, he has no chance. You see, I operate on a need to know basis. Saves me from a lot of trouble. Well, slightly more trouble...

Moving on.

Back home, Charlie ordered out and we crashed in front of the TV.

The next morning, it was business as usual and I was swarmed by people wanting to know if I was alright.

It was sweet and annoyingly persistent.

"Alright, settle down. Yes I survived the almost accident. No, I am not permanently scarred and no, I won't be having Mr Crowley suspended for losing control of the wheel and driving through ice. Now, we're going to start with a bit of sketching today."Rummaging through my bag, I pulled out an apple. "I assume you know what this is? Good. Well, I want you to sketch it as you see it. Whilst you're doing that, I will be available if any of you have any questions about the assignment. Okay? Well pull out the sketchpads and get sketching."

I selected my Yiramu playlist. That man has some seriously skilled fingers going on. The class were already started and I took a sip of my coffee.

Alice Cullen's hand went up.

"Yes Miss Cullen?"

"I've finished Miss Tretyakov."

"Are you sure? You haven't had long and there's no rush."

Her smile grew so wide, I could almost see her molars. "I've finished."

I went over to take a look. Her strong liquorice come bleach scent irritated my nostrils.

"What do you think?"

"It's nice. But it doesn't matter what I think. This is just a starter activity for you."

"Please tell me?"

Why did she have to beg? She sounds so childish and spoiled.

"Well, you've made a good first attempt though you didn't add the bruise above the stalk."

"Oh, I chose not to add it in."

"Well, for the record Miss Cullen, I asked you to draw as you see. You can't gloss over life's imperfections Miss Cullen, no matter how hard you try. Imperfections are what make us human. Try again only this time, take it slow." Addressing the rest of the class. "There's a little phrase artists like to use, Draw what you see. Writers have a similar philosophy, Write what you know. Quite poetic really."

I saw the hand raised.

"Yes Mr Cullen?"

"Well, what if you're writing about something that you don't know much about?"

"Then you get to know it. Research it. Let it take over your mind and consume your thoughts. Throw you're all into it and you'll be all the better for it. Any more questions? Good. I'll collect your work now and we'll move on."

They watched as I handed the sketches out once more but not to their original owners.

"Try and work out who is the owner of this drawing and what it says about the artist."

"But how will we know?"

"Take an educated guess. If you're right, you'll be able to find out more about the person whose drawing you are holding. If you're wrong, try not to offend them with your judgement. Take a few minutes."

I sat at my desk, waiting.

Alice Cullen was the first to volunteer.

"Don't say the name first."

"Well, this person's lines are light which could demonstrate a lack of confidence. The strokes towards the bottom are much more assertive."

"Who do you think it is then?"

"Angela."

I held up the artwork.

"Angela Webber, is this yours?"

The girl nodded and the class gave a small round of applause. We moved on until Tyler Crowley had his turn.

"The artist has captured everything."

"Well..."

"It's good but there's nothing much to it. No life, if that makes sense?"

Once again, Lauren did not approve. "Of course it has no life to it, it's an apple. God, this is so stupid!"

"Well if you feel that way, remember this class is an elective. You don't have to be here if you would rather be taking another subject."

Lauren huffed but stayed silent.

"Can anyone have a guess at what Mr Crowley is trying to say?"

Angela raised her hand. "I think so. Whilst the sketch captures what the apple looks like, it's still a drawing. This one is where the sun is beaming on the apple and makes it look almost glowing."

I smiled, now they were getting it. "Do you know whose it is yet?"

"I think its Tyler's."

At his affirmative nod, "Well, it looks like we have quite the budding artist in our midst and I do believe that's the bell to go. This week, find an object that you feel says a lot about the person you are. Do a few sketches of it in different scenarios. I'll see you all next time!"

XxX

It was over dinner that night that I decided that I wanted to go to Seattle. I spoke to Charlie about it.

"I'm not sure if your truck will make the journey."

"So I'll make a couple of pit stops. I'll be fine."

XxX

I had arrived at school the next day when Mrs Cope at reception waved me over.

"Mrs Cullen is here to see you. She's in the Head teacher's office."

What does she want?

I walked over to his office and knocked on the door. After hearing him say 'Enter', I walked in.

"Ah, there you are. Miss Tretyakov, this is Mrs Cullen."

"Hello dear."

"Mrs Cullen."

"Oh, call me Esme."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Oh yes. My daughter, Alice, was telling me about the assignment you set yesterday? Well, I'm concerned. You see she was a bit upset yesterday."

"Oh."

"Yes. Some of the comments were quite hurtful."

"Well I'm sorry she took offence but I fail to see what this has to do with me. I assigned the activity and it was the other students that came to this. If your daughter is upset, she should have talked to the other students. Was there anything else?"

"Oh no. I'm sorry, you're probably busy."

"Well, I do have classes now but it was nice to meet you."

"Good-bye dear."

Patronising cow. Why would anyone get their mother to come in and complain because their little darling was upset?

XxX

Mike stopped short of crashing into me. "Bella. Do you mind if we call you Bella now?"

"Go on then."

"Why don't you have lunch with us?"

I grabbed lunch and made my way to the table. From the corner of my eye, I saw the Cullens huddled close.

"So, how you settling in?"

"It's getting better."

"Any plans for the weekend?"

"I'm going to Seattle."

I was walking across the car-park when I saw Edward leaning my truck. I glared but he didn't stir.

"What do you want Mr Cullen?"

"My name is Edward."

"I'm well aware of that, Mr Cullen. What do you want?"

"You're truck won't make it to Seattle. I can drive you."

"Why would you do that?"

He shrugged.

"Well thanks for the offer but no thanks. Now, if you could step away from my truck?"

"Why won't you let me drive you?"

"Because I don't want you to. Now if you don't mind?"

As he stepped away, he gave a fake sigh. I noticed his sister looking over, interested. Our eyes met and she gave a wave. I smiled back at her.

Pesky little Pixie!

That night, I made a call to an old friend.

The next morning was one of the sunniest I've ever seen in Forks. Today would be a good-day!

I fixed breakfast, said good-bye to Charlie and was on my way.

Renee's Daughter

Faye was nursing a coffee by the time I arrived. She waved the waiter over, who hastily made up a cappuccino.

"Hey babe. How's Forks treating you?"

Rolling my eyes. "Oh, don't even go there. We're not talking about Forks. I want to have a good day today."

Our coffees finished, we went over to the truck.

Faye whistled. "Nice ride."

"Charlie bought it from a friend. His friend's kid fixed it up. It's decent."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Good. Keep it that way."

We spent the rest of the afternoon hitting the shops and buying up all the candy we could lay our hands on. When we decided to get coffee, I called Charlie.

"Swan residence."

"Charlie, its Bella. I wondered if you would mind if I brought a friend back."

"No that's fine. This is your place as well. Billy and Jake called round and we're watching the game. Will you be back soon?"

"We'll be leaving as soon as we get coffees. Have you eaten?"

"We already ordered. There might be some left."

"It's okay we'll sort ourselves out. See you later."

I turned to Faye. She held out my Cappuccino. I took a sip before heading out to the car.

We made good time and the lights in Charlie's were a welcome sight.

"Aloha."

"In here Bells."

It wasn't until Charlie caught sight of Faye that he rose from the sofa. Jake stood up.

"Charlie, this is my good friend Faye, Faye, meet Charlie."

They shook hands and I saw Charlie wince and Faye's grip.

"Sorry." She reached into a bag and pulled out a six pack. "Thought you might like this."

"You didn't have to."

"I know, I wanted to."

"Are you even old enough to buy these?"

We burst out laughing and Faye nudged Charlie. "I like you Charlie. You must be a hit with the ladies."

We heard a snort from Billy and I introduced the two.

Charlie had his cop voice on. The effect was spoiled by his slight slur. "I hope you're not corrupting Bella here."

When Faye stopped choking, we settled in the watch the game with a bucket of chicken each. Jake watched as Faye scarfed down most of it without taking a break.

"Ignore her; she was raised in a barn."

Faye turned and stuck her tongue out at me. I saw Jake eyeing the chicken and handed the last few bits up to him.

When they announced they were leaving, Faye excused herself to dump her stuff in my room, where she was spending the night. I said good-bye to the Blacks and settled on the sofa.

The next morning, I was in the middle of making breakfast when I heard Charlie's heavy steps on the stairs.

"Morning. Your friend not up?"

"I thought I'd let her sleep in."

He nodded and moved for the coffee pot. I had bought a shed load of it yesterday and he stood there, breathing in the aroma.

"That's good coffee."

"It sure is. You going fishing?"

"Yeah, we're running a little low."

Humour. Nice one Charlie.

When Faye came down we all ate together and we waited until Charlie drove away.

We washed up in silence but it wasn't too comfortable. Faye cleared her throat. "So...You do realise your room stinks of leeches?"


End file.
